[VIDEO]: I love a good fourth wall break, when someone in a show or film turns and speaks directly to the audience, or into the camera. When done well, it creates a more intimate relationship between the actors and the audience.
Here’s a bunch of examples of doing it well (click through to the main Loop post for the video).
From the Netflix blog:
As we launch more than 1,000 hours of original content next year, we know we have less than 90 seconds to capture someone’s attention and get them excited about a title — that’s why we’re introducing video previews into the TV browsing experience.
What’s a video preview? For starters, video previews aren’t teasers or traditional trailers. They are specially designed video synopses that help members make faster and more confident decisions by quickly highlighting the story, characters and tone of a title. In developing this experience, our testing showed that people watched more of a story, demonstrating these previews helped them browse less and watch more.
I like the experience, I do see value in seeing curated video clips instead of a box shot or still frame.
That said, I think more data would be even more helpful. For example, I’d love a Rotten Tomatoes/Metacritic/IMDb score for each movie (in addition to the Netflix score, which I rarely agree with).
As I’m making my way through Netflix’s lists, I inevitably make my way over to IMDb, etc. to get a sense of how the movie is received by others. A low score won’t necessarily stop me from exploring a movie, but an extremely high score will keep me in the game, keep me from missing a little known but highly praised niche project.
Sarah Perez, Tech Crunch:
Netflix’s decision to introduce an in-app subscription option in its iOS app over a year ago has helped the streaming service steadily gain more subscribers, and surge up the Top Grossing charts in the Apple App Store. Back in November of last year, the app hit the Top Grossing chart for the first time, reaching the No. 9 position. Today, Netflix has reached another milestone, as the app has earned the No. 1 Top Grossing spot on the U.S. iPhone App Store.
Interesting that after all this time, and after two different pivots (from mailing discs to streaming and original content), no other company has been able to duplicate their formula for success. Netflix has the mojo.
[VIDEO]: A solid ad, with the taglines:
your movies look like movies on iPhone 7
And:
practically magic
Note that the only capital letter to be found in the ad is the “P” in “iPhone”. This a new part of Apple’s advertising style guide?
Janko Roettgers, Variety:
Netflix is cutting each and every video into one-to-three-minute-long chunks. Computers then analyze the visual complexity of each and every of these clips, and encode with settings that are optimized for its visual complexity.
The resulting potential bandwidth savings are significant: Compared to the encoding tech Netflix uses for streaming, using this chunking method in combination with the new VP9 codec saves around 36% of bandwidth on average for videos that look the same to the human eye.
This new approach sits on a curve. On one end, the videos are much smaller, saving you space on your phone. On the other end, the videos look much better. What you get on your phone depends on the complexity of the particular chunk you are viewing. Interesting stuff.
[VIDEO]: This is hilarious. I really want to add Siri to this conversation.
[VIDEO]: A few days ago, we posted an embed of an Apple Campus 2 flyover, one that felt a bit different than the monthly updates we’re used to seeing.
Turns out there’s good reason for that feeling. Embedded in the main Loop post is Matthew Roberts’ latest drone footage. Watching them both, it’s easy to tell them apart. Enjoy.
[VIDEO] I’m a sucker for great design and clever marketing. Back in December of 2013, Coca Cola experimented with a so-called gift bottle. Every winter since, Coke brings back the gift bottles and slowly expands the market in which they are found.
Have you encountered any of these bottles in your neck of the woods? Keep an eye out.
In the meantime, enjoy the original ribbon bottle video, in the main Loop post.
[VIDEO]: First things first, as you can see from the video (via 9to5mac), things are getting close to completion. In a month or so, we’ll start to see employees moving into this space.
Interestingly, this video was posted by Sexton Videography, unlike all the previous flyovers we’ve been posting, which were by Matthew Roberts. Could be Matthew Roberts posting under a new name, but the feel, especially of the titles, makes me think this is a competing effort. Add in the fact that Matthew typically posts on the first of each month and this popped up a few days ago.
The more the merrier?
[VIDEO] Interesting how distinctive voices can be. The minute Frankie’s groaning singing voice kicked in, I was pretty sure who it was. Great job with the makeup. Wasn’t certain until I verified it with a quick Google search.
Some terrific, vibrant pictures.
Jump to the main post for embed of the new Drake ad and link to the ad that it’s a callback to.
If you love music, this 8-part series from PBS is for you. I’ve made it through parts 1 and 2 so far, and they are both fascinating and riveting. The list of artists involved in this project is astonishing. Starting with George Martin and the Beatles, it’s a real who’s who of modern music, a true insider’s view.
Episode One is embedded in the main Loop post.
Here’s a link to the main site.
And here’s a link to the PBS site hosting other episodes.
Josh Centers, writing for TidBITS:
Telecom giant AT&T is seeking to purchase content giant Time Warner (which is no longer affiliated with Time Warner Cable, see “AT&T Aims to Buy Time Warner for $84.5 Billion,” 24 October 2016). However, the deal could run into regulatory obstacles, with politicians on both sides of the aisle questioning the merger. It also doesn’t help that the Department of Justice is suing AT&T subsidiary DirecTV.
And:
Goldman Sachs is reportedly pushing Apple to make a competing bid for Time Warner, but Apple is resisting. However, I think Apple should consider the possibility. Here are four reasons why.
This is a great, thoughtful read. Should Apple spend the cash to instantly acquire one of the biggest, highest quality content libraries on the planet? Would they burn bridges in doing so, alienate players they are trying to bring to the table?
I find this all a fascinating business.
This is a lot of fun. Fantastic job recreating these shots.
[VIDEO]: Thoughtful insight. Hee.
[VIDEO] Before you watch the video below, take a minute to watch the setup interview, where Phil Collins talks about the song and you can see Roots drummer Questlove getting a bit nervous taking on an incredibly well known drum moment.
Bottom line, Questlove does a fine job and Phil Collins and the band do this classic justice.
Enjoy.
Lawrence Levy, ex-Pixar CFO, in an excerpt from his new book To Pixar and Beyond:
It started with Pam Kerwin, a Pixar Vice-President who was general manager of various business operations within Pixar. She was a little older than me, in her early-forties, with striking red hair and a sweet demeanor that quickly made others feel at ease around her. Her office was just down the hallway from mine, and she was one of the few people who invited me to say hello and give me the lay of the land.
“I don’t envy you,” Pam jumped in after some pleasantries, “I don’t think you really get what you’re up against.”
“Up against?” I asked.
“You’re Steve’s guy.”
I must have given Pam a terribly puzzled look, because I wasn’t sure what she meant.
“Pixar and Steve have a long history,” she went on. “Not a good one. You don’t know it yet but Pixar lives in fear of Steve.”
This quote should give you a sense of the tone of the book. But if you can live with that, I found this excerpt riveting, a fascinating insight into the business side of both Pixar and Steve. Looking forward to reading the book.
Just start scrolling down. A pretty solid list. The biggest movie missing from this list, for me, was 2003’s Oldboy, in my opinion, one of the greatest horror films ever made.
[VIDEO] Happy Halloween, Loop friends. The video below has an awesome light show, but BEWARE, there are lots of flashing lights, so don’t start the video if that will cause you harm.
[VIDEO] This video is short, less than two minutes long, but, if you haven’t seen it, take the time to watch. Steve Jobs talks about the natural process that drives product people out of the decision making forums.
To me, Steve nails why it is so hard to maintain innovation over the long haul.
[VIDEO] This is wonderful to watch. I love the fact that all the robots are focused on a central point, working together to operate on something tiny.
An explainer from the Washington Post on the AT&T Time Warner deal. Two points that stick out:
AT&T, the nation’s second-largest wireless carrier, is buying Time Warner, the storied media titan that owns HBO, CNN and TBS. In an unprecedented step, the deal is going to combine a gigantic telecom operator — which also happens to be the largest pay-TV company — and a massive producer of entertainment content.
It means that for millions of Americans, AT&T will control both the pipes of distribution and much of the shows, movies and other content that travels through the pipes. It’s hard to overstate the significance of this move, both in terms of scale and in terms of the ripple effects this will have on Hollywood, the cable industry, the cellular industry and the broadband industry.
In other words, AT&T may be about to own a huge trove of some of the most recognizable names in media. This is a big moment, because anytime you watch anything owned by Time Warner, that’ll be money in AT&T’s pocket. It’ll put AT&T in direct competition with companies such as Netflix and Amazon, giving it a big incentive to use its content and distribution platform as leverage against them. And it could spur a frenzy of other acquisitions, driving even more consolidation in the industry.
And:
The deal is already drawing loud protests from politicians on both ends of the ideological spectrum, at a time when national conversations about inequality have made critiquing large businesses a matter of populist appeal. U.S. lawmakers are already calling for an antitrust hearing on the issue.
The reaction from business analysts seems mixed; while many agree that buying up content is a natural move for telcos in an era of rapid convergence, some, such as Craig Moffett of MoffettNathanson, say it has only a 50-50 chance of succeeding with regulators.
This is far from a done deal. And Apple is still there, waiting in the wings.
This is phenomenal footage. The venue is a small hall at the University of Essex in Colchester, England, in October of 1978. Angus Young’s guitar-work truly is blistering. Hard to believe he’s only 23 here. Great to watch. Turn it up!
Alvin Chang, writing for Vox, on his time trolling, then investigating the folks who call claiming they are with the IRS, trying to collect owed taxes.
I found this both dark and fascinating.
Eddy Cue, speaking at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit (via Business Insider):
“I do think television needs to be reinvented. Today, you live with a glorified VCR,” Cue said. “The problem is the interface.”
“It’s really hard to use [a cable box or satellite TV]. Setting something to record, if you didn’t watch something last night, if you didn’t set it to record, it’s hard to find, it may not be available. There may be some rights issues,” Cue said.
“It’s great to be able to tell your device, ‘I wanna watch the Duke basketball game, I don’t care what channel it’s on.’ I just want to watch the Duke basketball game. Today you got to bring in the TV, go through the guide, find which sports programs or whatever — it’s just hard to do.”
The state of television is in flux. Unlike the music industry, which moved to online purchases and then streaming, the dominant TV business model has yet to emerge. Apple is exploring all sides, trying to find their place in the emerging model. Apple TV, as currently implemented, is a portal. But Apple is also dipping its toes in the waters of original content.
Netflix has definitely found success with original content that is not dependent on cable companies for distribution. HBO has original content but is straddling the lines of the a la carte (HBO Now) and the more traditional bundle (as part of a cable package). Hulu and Amazon have their own approaches. Sports and more traditional programming add another wrinkle.
All of this adds up to a mish-mosh of standards. What’s needed is a unifying force to make it possible to watch all this content on demand while, at the same time, making the content universally and intelligently searchable and schedulable.
Seems to me that Apple TV is well placed to be that unifying portal, but an irresistible force is needed to bring all these disparate elements together.
Quartz:
The best television characters have already been immortalized on screen, given reruns and our ability to stream our favorite episodes on demand. Now early research at University of Leeds is attempting to give these characters new life, by building digital recreations that can appear in new episodes or even take over for Siri on your smartphone.
Their first “immortal” character: Joey from Friends.
This is very smart and, I think, a real taste of the future. The key is to overcome the so-called uncanny valley. From Wikipedia:
The uncanny valley is the hypothesis that human replicas that appear almost, but not exactly, like real human beings elicit feelings of eeriness and revulsion among some observers.
On the dark side, once we can place actual characters in invented situations, a door will open that we can never close. You may find yourself, on video and unasked for, doing things you’ve never done. Elections will become even wilder.
All that said, this has been coming for a while now (read about the 2001 movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, which promised to change everything, and really didn’t).
So take all this with a grain of salt and look forward to Joey from Friends setting your reminders. How you doin’?
Jason Kottke, from an appreciation piece about the excellent show Halt and Catch Fire (there are spoilers in Jason’s post, none in my excerpt):
When I tell people about the first time I saw the Web, I would sheepishly describe it as love at first sight. Logging on that first time, using an early version of NCSA Mosaic with a network login borrowed from my physics advisor, was the only time in my life I have ever seen something so clearly, been sure of anything so completely. It was a like a thunderclap — “the amazing possibility to be able to go anywhere within something that is magnificent and never-ending” — and I just knew this was for me and that it was going to be huge and important. I know how ridiculous this sounds, but the Web is the true love of my life and ever since I’ve been trying to live inside the feeling I had when I first saw it.
This whole post is worth reading, a beautiful, passionate piece of writing.
Well as I live and breathe. Never thought I’d see this day.
[VIDEO]: This video is a walk through the Apple Music interface, highlighting various features. Feels like it belongs on the official Apple Music page. It’s certainly too long for an ad.
One thing worth noticing are the not-quite-transparent circles that stand in for a finger tap or drag. Watch the video with that in mind. There are a lot of them.
The circles are used both for touches and to highlight sections of the interface. My guess is, these circles are part of some third party screen recording app and were placed there frame-by-frame.
I would love it if Apple would expose the technology that made those circles as part of the QuickTime Player’s iPhone screen recording interface. There are ways to capture touches in a video but, in my opinion, none come close to matching these.